In Episode 11 of The L Word, we get a short but powerful glimpse into money and Rose Rollins and Leisha Haley as Tasha and Alicerelationships. As Tasha and Alice start house and apartment hunting it becomes quite clear that communication and an understanding of each other’s money styles is lacking. To make matters worse I’m not so sure they share the same values. We’ve seen on the show recently what kind of havoc not sharing the same values can have on individuals and relationships.

True to form, Alice has Tasha marching all over town looking at really nice houses. Fancy, beautiful pieces of lodging that would be quite the gem to live in. Knowing that they are in the Greater Los Angeles Area tells us that these little gems are a fortune. The only problem is that it is way outside their budget. Alice is hot on the heels of what could be a lucrative career in television so she is riding high. She is ready to jump right in, become house poor, and then end up on the California foreclosure heap in Season 6 I guess.

Tasha, ever our conservative and reserved gal just keeps repeating “we can’t afford this, lets just keep looking.” Alice feeling all powerful tells Tasha that they don’t have to split the rent right down the middle. Tasha’s quick to retort: “Yes we fucking do!!” In just one quick sentence it gets very clear that they have communicated exactly “not at all” when it comes to how they are going to handle finances and other details once they move in.

Unfortunately this scene is all too familiar with couples. In my day I have seen one too many lesbian couple quickly make the choice to move in together without so much as ever batting an eye at the details. After all, talking about money isn’t romantic. Most couples could benefit immensely from determining if they are compatible money-wise early on. My guess is that Tasha and Alice won’t be navigating these 20 questions about money any time soon on the air or off.

There are as many ways to handle joint finances as there are relationships as our Sleeping with Money series regularly shows. But it always comes down to one big key to success:

COMMUNICATION

Of course if you watch the previews for the Season 5 Finale of The L Word you’ll see that Tasha and Alice may have more than just money differences in store for them in the future.

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, works with women who are ready to create their lives and businesses the way the want rather than how they were told they “should”. She is the author of the 12 part eCourse “How to Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin” which you can download for free at her website http://www.thepaulagcompany.com.